Health and Computer Issues: Ergonomics

As the use of computers in the workplace and in personal life expands so do the unforeseen consequences associated with further computerization.  Health issues such wrist injuries, compromised vision, back issues, and symptoms related to being sedentary for long periods of time (Vahid, & Lysecky. 2017 Ch 9.1).  One of the ways of combating these significant health issues related to computerization is through interventions associated with ergonomics.  Ergonomics is the science of providing interventions to offset behaviors and trends in computer use (Vahid, & Lysecky. 2017 Ch 9.1).  The science relies mostly on interface hardware such as keyboards, mice, and monitors.  These devices have direct contact with the user and have the most impact on the body.  One example ergonomics is for an individual to have the top of their screen just below eye level (Vahid, & Lysecky. 2017 Ch 9.1).  This intervention is aimed at reducing neck strain in individuals who have their monitors in a position that over time could cause permanent damage to the user.  This topic is very important to information technology in that it makes the practice of utilizing computers sustainable. 

I will concede that the topic of ergonomics does not quite relate to all aspects of information technology, but there are times when software configuration can be utilized in an ergonomic way to reduce the strain on the user.  Some of the potential software configurations involve the user interface and the colors and fonts associated with it.  The advancement of computers has also seen the addition of continued diversity in the types of code used and the color schemes attributed to them.  A database manager or programmer could be at risk of vision related issues if they had to look at certain colors of code for long periods of time.  These vision issues are referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome or Digital Eye Strain (American Optometric Association).  Computer vision syndrome is characterized by eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain (American Optometric Association).  To reduce the symptoms associated with computer vision syndrome it is possible to create software and user interfaces which limit the amount of time a person must spend looking at their screen or the type of fonts and colors a person is exposed to. 

Another software applications that can be used in an ergonomic capacity to reduce the potential harm of long periods of interacting with computer interfaces.  One such program is known as Dragon Speech, which is a voice to text program that can help individuals with ergonomic injuries such as carpel tunnel (Juul-Kristensen, Laursen, Pilegaard, & Jensen. 2004).  This program does cost money but has been shown affective for individuals recovering from occupational injuries.    

The main reason for deciding upon this topic is that I suffer from a medical disability that has compromised my tendons and ligaments throughout my body.  For me, the act of moving too quickly can cause me to sprain a joint and because of this ergonomic are vital for me to live a productive life and still retain the ability to work.  Initially, I utilized Dragon Speech to limit the amount of time that I spent with fingers on the keys which reduced the amount of injuries I experienced.

                                                                       References

American Optometric Association. (n.d). Computer Vision Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome

B. JUUL-KRISTENSEN, B. LAURSEN, M. PILEGAARD and & B.R. JENSEN (2004) Physical workload during use of speech recognition and traditional computer input devices, Ergonomics, 47:2, 119-133, DOI: 10.1080/00140130310001617912

Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2017). Computing technology for all. Retrieved from zybooks.zyante.com/

Phishing Scams: Review/Prevention

Information technology has many layers of complexity that can make the task of improving your understanding seem quite daunting. However, there are a few rudimentary things that even some professionals in the industry seem to overlook. The focus of this discussion is to delve into the topic of Phishing (pronounced “fishing”). For many individuals, they have heard this term before but do not have a solid grasp of what phishing means, the dangers of phishing, nor how to protect against it. The easiest way to define phishing is by saying that it is a scam which attempts to deceive the intended target to provide the criminal with sensitive information such as important passwords or even credit card numbers (Vahid & Lysecky 2017. Ch. 8.4). Unlike many types of cyber-attacks which attempt to infiltrate your private information by bypassing a security feature within your computer this one is reliant on the user to initiate it. For example, today I received an email with a common phishing scam from the “Social Security Agency” informing me that I have “a warrant for my arrest, but it can be taken care of by providing bank information to resolve the outstanding debt.” This is clearly a deception that is focused solely on attempting to use fear to coerce me into providing the thief with sensitive financial information.

So, how do you defend against what often look like genuine correspondence via email? A popular website that I frequent provides an outline of five specific ways that can help you to not fall prey to a phishing scam. The five things that the author Mike James (2017) suggests for you to look out for are:



1. If the email asks you to confirm personal information.

2. If the web and email addresses do not look genuine.

3. If it’s poorly written.

4. If there’s a suspicious attachment.

5. If the message is designed to make you panic.



As you can see from the list, the example I provided above highlights a few of these things to look out for in that it was a badly written email which wanted my bank information and was designed to make me panic. Historically, these types of email would end up in your junk mail folder and you would not likely ever have seen it. However, phishing scams are becoming more and more sophisticated and are finding their way into your regular email inbox. They have also been used in conjunction with viruses to attempt to fool you into opening the email or the attachment to have you unknowingly download a virus or other malicious programs onto your system. Odds are that if you are a human being like the rest of us you could fall prey to a phishing scam, but what does one do in that situation?

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides some important resources for individuals who believe they have suffered from a phishing scam. For example, the DHS provides step by step information on should you become the victim of identity theft, and the steps you can take to recover from this incident. In addition to the resources the DHS also allows individuals to submit these scams so they can be thoroughly investigated. I am including the link to their site should you wish to review it https://www.us-cert.gov/report-phishing.

Phishing scams at their best are annoyances which cause us the wasted effort of having to delete them, but at their worst they can compromise our sensitive information to an extent we might not be aware of. The good news is this type of scam works well in an environment of complacency but does not thrive if you are aware of what to look for. By reviewing the information provided and being proactive you can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim to this type of cyber-attack.

Computers in the Workplace

The industry that I have chosen to review is the mental health industry. My current understanding of information technology related to mental health is what I would call adequate. Therapy has been around for quite a while, but computer have slowly integrated into the practice. Computers are important to therapists for many reasons. A primary function of a computer in this industry is to improve quality of care. Clinicians utilize computers as a means to document treatment digitally which is often faster and can be more secure than written records. Computers make these digitally stored records more easily transferred between facilities which can improve care by allowing a new provider to see a patient’s history faster. Computers also are important for the patients in the terms of care and ease of access. Individuals who suffer from severe anxiety and depression historically miss appointments which create barriers for recovery. The innovation of computers in care has allowed for what we call “telehealth.” Telehealth allows clients to attend therapy in a non-traditional way via a video screen. This reduces the patient’s social anxiety and lowers the motivational requirements involved with going out in public. In addition to telehealth, there are also apps which individuals can utilize for mindfulness when they are experiencing symptoms and need external support to regulate their anxiety.

 
A provider who is computer literate can help individuals with the transition to this unconventional therapy style and interventions. For an individual to adopt a new intervention to help with their recovery they often look to the subject matter expert for initial guidance as well and maintenance. This is especially true when providing these interventions and treatment styles with individuals who might not be computer literate. At times, in addition to being their therapist you are an IT specialist.

Over the next ten years it is likely that this trend digital therapy will only increase for the convenience of the provider, but also to improve the quality of care for patients. Computer hardware and software will only improve to make telehealth systems more portable, but also make it easier for individuals who are technologically challenged to get care. It is possible that the trend of apps playing a more critical role in patient’s care.

Reviewing Ping and Traceroute Commands.

                                                                         Ping Activity

(Websites Reviewed)

www.google.com

For the Google Website, the results were that a total of 4 packets were sent, 4 received, and zero packets lost. 

Amazon.com.au

The next site that I pinged was the Australian amazon site. For this site the results were 4 packets sent, 4 packets received, and 0 packets lost. The round trip time for pinging this site was 61ms average.

Ifeng.com

Ifeng.com is a Chinese website that is one of the tope 20 most popular websites in China. The results of this ping were initially similar to the others with 4 packets sent, 4 received, and 0 packets lost. However, the amount time it took for the ping results was considerably longer with 203ms on average.

                                                               Traceroute Activity

I found both the ping and the traceroute commands to be quite interesting. Ping was interesting because it can be used to determine if a website is experiencing latency issue from internal or external sources. Traceroute provides more detail in explaining where the sources of latency issues might be. Both ping and traceroute showed similar results in terms of the ms time that each site experienced to make a round trip. I hypothesis that this is do to physical distance from the ping location to the destination and it takes a certain amount of time for the signal to make the round trip. I believe that traceroute commands can be used to troubleshoot internet issues because it can specify the actual location of latency or problem. This can help IT professionals to exclude their own hardware or software as being the potential cause. The ping command is similar because it can be used to identify if a specific site is having latency issues. A potential time out can be caused by one of the hop locations having internet issues. Another potential cause can be from weather in the case of certain internet providers causing barriers with connectivity.

Documenting a Day Using Differnt Programs

Reviewing: Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, and Database:

I documented 10 things I did in a day and transposed the findings in each of these programs and reviewed them for their efficiency.  I did perceive some fundamental differences in the overall functions of each of the programs.  I found that each specific assignment highlighted a key role that the programs are good at.  A significant number of functions were shared among the programs even if the presentation was not executed the same. 

Microsoft Word for example, was an effective tool in providing a customizable list format in order to document my selected activities for my day.  I was able to alter the size of text, font, and even add bullet points to make it easier for the reader to track the purpose of the document.  One of the drawbacks of Word is that it does not do tables, math equations, and higher-level integrations as well as other programs.

Excel was the second program that I used, and it was great for what the assignment asked of it.  I was able to document the amount of time spent on each category of task very effectively.  However, Excel did not seem like it as superior in descriptive writing as Word is.  The purpose of excel seems to be more toward “representing tables of data like text or numbers, for using formulas to calculate data from other data (like sums or averages), and for creating graphical charts from data” (Vahid & Lysecky. 2017. Ch. 5.2).  Knowing this, I doubt I would have been able to convey an effective message using excel.

PowerPoint was the third program.  I have a love/hate relationship with PowerPoint in that I hate using it and love when it’s over.  PowerPoint is a very niche program which does well and educational type approaches to telegraphing information, but it is not very functional to send your grocery list on a PowerPoint slide.  It is on par with Excel with graphs and charts but does not do mathematical equations to the best of my knowledge.

The Database program was the first time that I’ve utilized that kind of program.  The assignment asked me to be able to link the topics I provided and assign them priorities.  I was able to segregate the priorities visually so I could contrast them.  Having not used this program before I cannot see a casual role for using this program for something as trivial as a list of daily activities.

I think that each program has its strength as demonstrated in the assignment, but even when playing to their strengths it sometimes seems like overkill.  For me, the importance and complexity of the document/project would dictate for me which program would be optimal in that moment.  Because my list is trivial but descriptive, I would likely organize which program I would use as being: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and finally Database based upon the ability for the programs to satisfy all my requirements for this assignment.

App Review: Twitch

The app that I have chosen to review is the Twitch App. Twitch is a stream app that allows individuals to stream a wide range of content. This content is primarily video games, but it does provide content related to other things such as cooking, comedy, and even art.  The image below is an example of an art progam that an individual is streaming while they are working on an art project.  

The twitch app is similar to the Youtube in that content creators provide entertainment that they can monetize if they achieve specific criteria of views. However, beyond providing a wide range of entertainment, Twitch’s app does not provide much in the way of utility.

The screen shot below is an example of a comedy program.

The design of the app is simple and easy to use. It allows for an individual to pick the type of content they wish to view. Once an individual makes their choice, a simple interactive screen appears which allows the user to interact with the content. The video tab allows individuals to pick the type of live content they wish to watch. The clips tab allows a person to preview content when content creators are not online. The info tab provides additional information about the content and the content creator.  One of the key features of the Twitch app is the chat.  This allows individuals the ability to interact with content creators. 

Some drawback to the app is that it is extremely resource hungry.  Streaming in Twitch takes much more data and processor resources than streaming on Netflix or even YouTube.  An individual can experience issues with latency on audio and visual aspect of the streams  if they are on a mobile device and have impaired services.    

A final point I would like to make is that the Twitch app is similar to the YouTube in that content creators provide entertainment that they can monetize if they achieve specific criteria of views.  Individuals can subscribe to content creators for $4.99, $9.99, and $24.99.  Content creators can also receive gifts and donations.  However, beyond providing a wide range of entertainment and a potential monitory, Twitch’s app does not provide much in the way of utility.   A significant amount of the emphasis of the app is on subscribing or related to donations which does detract from  content that is designed to be educational.  

Initial entry into programming: Scratch Program

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/329077967Links to an external site.

Today I'd like to talk about my initial step into the programming world.  I had the opportunity to utilize a program known as Scratch.  First, I reviewed the tutorial in the Scratch program.  I found the tutorial to be insightful, but it seemed to over simplify the process of how the blocks interact with each other.  I played around with the program for about 20 minutes and started to get the hang of the process.  I decided upon what I wanted to make and came up with a first draft.  Some of the challenges that I noticed after creating my initial first draft was that the system took the blocks I had placed literally.  This meant that my dialog and movements were not matching up with the timing that I wanted.  This caused me to have to put in pauses to allow the audience time to see what was written and to demonstrate a more natural look.  Another difficulty I had was having my program reset itself and make a solid transition between the different backgrounds.  I overcame this by placing condition blocks associated with changing backgrounds that reset my character’s position.  The final challenge I experienced was when I added a second character, but only wanted him to participate in the second background.  I had to add blocks to hide him and reveal him when it was appropriate for my story. 



I found the utilization of Scratch to be easier cognitively, and less intimidating than the programming exercises from the textbook.  However, I did notice the overall similarity in the process.  Python is a language that has a lot of formulas that you need to directly interact with in order to code.  In contrast, Scratch’s program hides the majority of the formulas and physical code behind “blocks.”  These blocks make initial learning of the concept of coding much easier, but my perception is that once you learn the formulas then Python would be a much more effective code because you can adapt it to what you want by adjusting your formulas.  I find Python to be more popular because higher end coding is needed for more complex systems.  Personally, I believe that C++ and Java Script are the most popular languages, but that is from a novice point of view.